The invention relates to a grenade body, in particular for hand grenades, comprising a multi-part fragmentation body which in all embodiments includes a hollow body and which comprises metal particles embedded in plastics material, and preferably an outer casing of plastics material, which at least partially encloses the fragmentation body, wherein the pieces of the fragmentation body engage positively one into the other at the connecting surfaces.
In order to provide maximum uniformity of distribution of the fragmentation effect when using a grenade, in particular a hand grenade, it is necessary for the fragmentation body to enclose as fully as possible the space inside the grenade or hand grenade, which is filled with explosive. However, that requirement is in conflict with the fact that the fragmentation body must be provided, in at least one location, with an opening which is used on the one hand for introducing or inserting the explosive. On the other hand, parts of the fuse, for example the fuse tube in the case of hand grenades, also project through that opening from the fuse head into the space within the fragmentation body.
In order to achieve maximum enclosure of the explosive charge, it has already been proposed (AT-A No. 348898) that the fragmentation body should be of a multi-part construction; that arrangement comprises an upwardly open cup-shaped hollow body whose wall includes metal particles embedded in plastics material wherein, after the explosive charge has been inserted, a two-part cover also comprising metal particles embedded in plastics material is fitted on to the hollow body and secured in position by a bayonet-type connection. The cover leaves free an opening which is substantially smaller than the opening of the cup-shaped hollow body and into which the fuse head can be fitted, with a screwthreaded portion. In such constructions there is the danger that, upon detonation of the explosive, the individual separate pieces making up the fragmentation body, or at least the cover thereof, may fly away without in turn being broken up into the individual metal particles, and will thus form larger undesirable fragmentation units and prevent uniform fragmentation distribution around the grenade.
Multi-part fragmentation bodies which all told form a hollow body are also known in which shell-shaped portions are connected by means of interengaging grooves and projections, whereupon the fragmentation body formed in that way is encased by an outer casing of plastics material (AT-A No. 240218). Apart from the relatively large opening in those known fragmentation bodies, that arrangement suffers from a lack of metal particles along the connecting surfaces of the shell-like portions in the region of the grooves and projections formed at those locations, and that consequently gives a corresponding area with a reduced fragmentation effect.
The problem of the present invention, in a multi-part fragmentation body which includes a hollow body, is to provide for fragmentation distribution which is a uniform as possible around the grenade, and to improve the uniformity of scatter of the metal particles arranged in the fragmentation body.